Tech billionaire Elon Musk has launched a scathing critique of Canada's publicly funded healthcare system following the tragic death of an Edmonton father who waited eight hours in a hospital emergency room.
A Tragic Wait in the Edmonton ER
The incident involves Prashant Sreekuma, a 44-year-old man from Edmonton. According to a report by Global News, Sreekuma experienced severe chest pains while at work on Monday, December 22, 2025. He was taken to Grey Nuns Community Hospital in southeast Edmonton.
His father, Kumar, stated that his son described the pain as "15 out of 10." Hospital staff performed an electrocardiogram (ECG) and reportedly told the family the results showed nothing significant, advising them to continue waiting. Sreekuma was given Tylenol for pain management.
After approximately eight hours, Sreekuma was finally about to be seen. His father recounted the final moments: "After sitting maybe 10 seconds, he looked at me, he got up and put his hand on his chest and just crashed." He died of an apparent heart attack.
Wife's Viral Video and Musk's Reaction
Sreekuma's wife shared a devastating video on social media, which has been viewed over 9.3 million times. In it, she detailed the timeline, stating her husband arrived at the hospital at 12:20 p.m. and was not seen by a doctor until 8:50 p.m.
She explained that he was complaining of constant chest pains and had rising blood pressure, but was only given Tylenol. She alleges hospital staff told them "chest pain is not considered an acute problem." The grieving wife also claimed hospital security called her "rude" in the aftermath.
Elon Musk reshared the video on his platform, X, and commented, "When the government does medical care, it is about as good as the DMV." In a follow-up post, he promised his AI tool Grok and Tesla's Optimus robot would provide better future care, reiterating, "Government healthcare is like having the DMV as your doctor."
Broader Context and Official Response
The case adds fuel to an ongoing national debate about healthcare wait times. A National Post article earlier in the year highlighted that more than 74,000 Canadians have died on healthcare wait lists since 2018, with 15,474 deaths in the 2023-24 period alone before receiving surgeries or diagnostic scans.
Comedian Rob Schneider also mocked the system, tweeting, "ALL Canadians have the RIGHT to die waiting in the hospital to get help."
In a statement to Postmedia, Covenant Health, which operates Grey Nuns Hospital, expressed deep sadness but declined to comment on specifics, noting the patient "was receiving care." Karen Macmillan, Chief Operating Officer of Acute and Primary Care, offered sympathy to the family and confirmed the case is now with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The tragedy in Edmonton has become a flashpoint, drawing international attention and raising urgent questions about emergency room triage, resource allocation, and the state of Canada's cherished public healthcare model.
